The involvement of children in conflict is among the most terrible things that happen in war. The Search for Common Ground Child Soldiers Initiative estimates that over 300,000 children are currently serving in armed groups in wars around the world; millions more are caught up in conflicts in which they are not merely bystanders, but targets.
While human rights and humanitarian organizations have been working to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and rehabilitate children involved in conflicts, the effects of this phenomenon continue to be widespread. The failure to effectively reintegrate children in post-conflict environments leads to their continued vulnerability and can undermine political efforts to implement a peace agreement.
The Child Soldiers Initiative – organized by Search for Common Ground in cooperation with Senator Romeo Dallaire, UNICEF Canada, USAID's Displaced Children and Orphan's Fund and the University of Winnipeg – made use of the PPC’s simulated Fontinalis scenario in July 2007 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre in Ghana, Africa. The simulation was designed to reflect the reality of countries where child recruitment is a current and pressing problem. The aim was to generate practical solutions to the challenges presented in the field with respect to collaboration, communication and the development of integrated action plans to prevent the recruitment and use of children in conflict.
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For more information on child soldiers: www.childsoldiersinitiative.org